St. Vincent falls short in state title match

~ State volleyball: Stockton swept the Indians in the finals.

WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- Stockton's Karissa Hassell was extremely upset after St. Vincent swept her team in the opening match of the Class 2 round-robin state semifinals.

"We got beat pretty bad and were kind of embarrassed," she said. "This whole year we hadn't been beat that bad by a team. It was usually by two points at the most. And so when we lost 25-16, we were determined to show what kind of team we are and push forward."

Hassell did push forward, leading her team to sweeps in the Tigers' next two round-robin semifinal matches to earn a berth in the championship match against the Indians on Saturday.

She was too much for the Indians' defense to handle, leading the way with 14 kills en route to a 25-15, 25-22 sweep of St. Vincent to claim the Class 2 state championship at the UCM Multipurpose Building.

St. Vincent senior Lacey Siegmund tried to encourage her teammates during the Class 2 championsip match Saturday in Warrensburg, Mo. (MSHSAA/Columbia photo)

"We wanted to prove ourselves," Hassell said. "Yesterday I noticed whenever I was hitting a lot, they were expecting me to pound the ball and they were everywhere I hit. I was trying to hit the holes but they were expecting it. Today I figured I'd do a little offspeed and I'd hit and tip it whenever they were back on their heels."

The Indians' defense was kept off balance throughout the match. Hassell and the rest of the Tigers did a nice job strategically placing shots to prevent the Indians from making digs or passing efficiently so they could set up their own shots.

Sarah DeWilde led the Indians with seven kills. Kelsey Cissell and Courtney Besand each had six.

"They tipped a great ball," St Vincent's Lacey Siegmund said. "We just weren't moving our feet and talking to each other. And we were just standing still and on our heels instead of on our toes. We just didn't go. They'd just hit a ball long and then just tip it short and we just couldn't move to it."

Libero Sara Moll, who along with the rest of the defense had trouble digging and handling some serves, said the Stockton offense kept her team off balance. Moll and Besand each had 11 digs.

St. Vincent's Lacey Siegmund (6) and Sarah DeWilde tried to block Stockton's Brittany Sloan during the Class 2 championship match Saturday in Warrensburg, Mo. (MSHSAA/Columbia photo)

"They were just hitting their holes," Moll said. "We just couldn't get there, I guess."

St. Vincent coach Mindy House said her defenders had trouble because the players up front were not blocking as effectively as they had during the rest of the playoffs. The Indians have relied heavily on defense and had only one block in the championship.

"I just think [Friday] we were blocking a lot and today we weren't blocking a lot," House said. "So that was leaving our back row with a lot of pressure. We only had three or four good blocks. So blocking is a main part of your defense."

The Stockton defense played well too, so whenever St. Vincent was able to make a pass and set the ball, the Tigers were ready to rifle it back. Hassell chipped in on defense with eight digs.

"We put up a big block," Hassell said. "That was the main thing. We had a big block above the net. In the back row, if there was a hole in the block, we'd cover the hole because most of the times the hitters would try to hit through the block."

The Indians got down in the first game 21-12 and put together a three-point rally to bring themselves within 21-15. But unlike Friday when the Indians battled back from deficits of 20-13 and 21-15 in a second-round match, they had no big rallies left in them.

"To be honest, Stockton came out strong and they were ready to play and win," House said. "They were fired up and they wanted that first-place championship and they go it. Our girls played good, but I've seen them play a little bit better."

Hassell said she and her teammates are ready to have some fun now that the title is in hand.

"It feels awesome," Hassell said. "It feels absolutely awesome. We're going to go celebrate."